Big Walnut excels at Central District Science Fair

April 2, 2014

During the March 13 Big Walnut Local School District Board of Education meeting, Big Walnut Intermediate School fifth grade teacher Rina Hoge said every year the school district’s science fair gets better and better.

What’s significant about the Big Walnut Science Fair during the past two years, Hoge said, has been having all district fifth and sixth grade students in one building at Big Walnut Intermediate School, making it easier for students and science teachers to collaborate with each other.

“There were 146 participants at the Big Walnut District Science Fair; 122 of those students were from Big Walnut Intermediate School,” Hoge said at that meeting.

Having all of the fifth grade students in one building has paid off, Hoge said. Central District Science Day was held on Saturday, March 15, at Columbus State. Of the 41 Big Walnut Intermediate School students at Columbus State, 13 earned Superiors and technically qualified to show their projects during the Saturday, May 10, State Science Day at The Ohio State University.

“Of the 13, only six get to go because of numbers,” Hoge said. “They take the older kids first for scholarship purposes, and the younger ones in grades five and six fill in the gaps.”

Six Big Walnut High School students attended Central District Science Day; four earned Superior rating and will attend State Science Day — Jesse Rines, Kyle Davis, Marcus Davis and Abbie Meyers.

Faith Myers, a student at Big Walnut Middle School, also received a Superior rating and qualified for State Science Day.

“We’re one of the last school districts to have a local science fair,” Hoge said. “The students who do projects follow the scientific method of investigation, which is something they can connect to real world problem solving. Many of our kids qualify to compete at the next level, which puts them in a position to earn scholarships and awards. There’s so much to be gained from participating at this level.”